Hi,
I am on day 4 now of my Veggie Fast800 plan (as I am thinking of it). Could anyone help me working out the amount of carbs I should be eating? I have set the goals on Myfitnesspal as:

800 Calories
Carbs 25%
Fat 50%
Protein 25%

The above based on the reading some posts in the forum.
I have had 1 cup of blueberries for breakfast which is according to Myfitnesspal 21 (grams?) of carb which then leaves me with only 29 (grams?!!) of carb left for the day. Is this correct? I thought that blueberries were a low-carb food?! I have been eating a bowl of blueberries with a dollop of greek yoghurt for breakfast – should I really be eating more yoghurt with just a few blueberries?! Any help appreciated – as would any ideas for other veggie breakfasts which don’t involve eggs! Many thanks, XXX Fluff XXX

Hi Judith and Lynne and Janet et al
I will certainly keep on prodding my friend (kindly)! about the diet,
I have forgotten how many times I have been on a diet, I think I’ve tried them all! However this isn’t a diet is it? So here’s to my new life and way of eating, I just hope that my efforts bring about a change to the many friends I have that are overweight, when they see the change in me, ( I still have at least 21 lbs to lose!) good luck to us all, onwards and downwards.
Christine

Hi Cherrianne
That’s definitely something to consider, the shakes have been excellent for losing the weight. Perhaps making a change at this time might be the right thing to do.

Hi Kwench
Couple of things that might help. Check you are both drinking enough, as good hydration is definitely a key. Also, make sure that there is good portion of fat in your diets, as this helps you feel fuller for longer and also helps kick you body in to fat burning mode. I know it is counter-intuitive, given all the low-fat nonsense we have been fed over the years, but it really does help.
Only other thing that might help, is checking there isn’t anything you are eating, which is surprisingly high in carbs, as this might be hindering progress.
It is still early days though and lots of people report slow starts, or initial good result immediately followed by no progress for days/weeks. Most if not all of these, find they will suddenly lose several pounds almost overnight!
Don’t give up, as this new way of eating really does work and you will both eventually find you feel fitter and more vital than you have in a long time.
Good luck and hope that you will be posting good results for you both soon.

Tanita scale co. recommends weighing 2 hours before evening meal, so 5pm for me to get some sort of consistency.
Orchid you are right – dehydration [and everything else] affects fat measure – mine is + 2% first thing in the morning.
I bought my own machine to get to know my weight/fat etc., even if they are estimates, a bit better. And its keeping me entertained and motivated. It was cheaper than an MRI scan…

Happywife I’ll be interested in how you get on with inulin. I think you’ll be lucky to notice a short-term meaningful change in visceral fat as measured on such machines, but should see a drop longer-term. The main thing is to lose weight and you should notice a difference in waist measurement. On diabetes UK it says:

“A relatively good indicator of visceral fat is to take a waistline measurement. Harvard University note around 10% of our total fat is likely to be stored as visceral fat, therefore if you are carrying higher amounts of body fat than is recommended, it is therefore more likely that you are also storing more visceral fat than is healthy.”

The NHS website doesn’t seem to think losing weight will cause gallstones. In fact, being overweight is considered to be a cause. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Gallstones/pages/causes.aspx

Usually they take a long time to develop – I mean years.

Day 13 not hungry or dizzy went for a two mile walk before lunch last night thought I may go faint etc
Felt fine home to mackerel salad
Still off my meds without permission to see how or if they drop over 8 weeks !
First day today felt like a big meal so had subway salad bowl chicken 😎
Decided not to prick my fingers till next week then daily again ,never used to do this at all, should I do it every day ?
Alan cheers folks

Hi AKB382,
I’m not familiar with slim fast shakes so I just checked the carb content. Found a vanilla powder one that you mix with water on the Boots website. It has 35g carbs per serve. So with two shakes a day you are already on 70g carbs without counting whatever you are eating at night, or any milk added to tea/ coffee.
I had to go down to 50g carbs per day to get my blood sugars under control whilst my liver was getting rid of the stored fat. I was a TOFI as mentioned in the book.
Something for you to consider? You might be better off ditching the shakes and eating low carb instead.

Hi All!
I started the diet on Saturday 16th and my partner on Monday the 18th, sticking to 800 cals or thereabouts and weighed ourselves today and not a sniff of a lb lost! For me its not the end of the world and I am determined to continue however my poor partner is struggling and really feeling it on this diet. I keep trying to reassure him that it is early days and that his body will adjust but he is not convinced in any way – any suggestions on how we can ease his pain and keep him going please…don’t want him to give up!
Thank you very much!!

We have been on it for close to 7 weeks, however due to major lifestyle reasons we are doing it 5:2, with the 2 days adhering to the main principles, but cutting ourselves some slack; it’s for work related reasons – business entertaining mainly.

I know it will take longer for us to get where we need to be – we both are aiming for a further loss of 1.5st each, but this works for us.

I have found no issues with eating out, salmon tends to be the main course, cheese for afters, no bread, no biscuits, but wine does feature. That said we only drink 2 days a week now, have cut alcohol consumption down massively, which has to be good for us in many ways.

The diet is now a lifestyle choice for us, we will go Med completely when we get to our tgt weight.

Good luck!

Hi Beverley,
Reading your post has made me realise that I haven’t felt a single twinge from my ( quite large) gallstone since starting the BSD!
It used to make it’s presence known 2-3 times a week before this. Another benefit I’ve gained from eating this way 🙂

Hi Cherrianne,
Pre-meal is usually under 7, (although yesterday it was 9) post meal yesterday after an hour and half was 8.3. This morning 12.6.
I’ve read about the fatty snack I will definitely give it a go.
I have remained on the slim fast shakes made with water.

Hi AKB382,
It is really disappointing and alarming when the spikes happen. There is a post on here somewhere, from Clare, Michael’s wife who is a GP. She said that it’s ok to continue for a couple of weeks with higher blood sugar levels and see if they come down.
I’m wondering what your pre & post meal levels are doing, also your bedtime reading? If it’s only your fasting reading that’s high then things are not so grim as you fear. It will be down to a combination of the dawn phenomenon and your liver getting rid of the sugar stored as fat.
The other thing to check is the carb content of your shakes + any milk you make them with. You could be low cal but high carb and this will spike your blood sugars.
One of the things that helped me, Bill and some of the others was to have a fatty snack at bedtime. Something like a few tablespoons of full fat yoghurt or 20g cheese helps to counteract the dawn phenomenon.
Stay in touch and let us know how you get on.

Hi FiFiP how long have you been on it?
Rachel

Hi Rachel, we both are, have lost a stone + 1/2 each! : )

I know some people are saying to wait and see, but it’s my understanding that high blood sugar is doing you damage every time. Maybe check with your doctor and go back on a low dose for a while? The drugs may only treat the symptoms, but that is still important with something as dangerous as diabetes.

Hi Bill1954,
Yes, I did have spikes from week 7. I just don’t get it !.
did you change your diet much after week 8?

Hi FiFiP
Thank you for your message and advice. Are you on the diet too or just your Hubby? Hope its going well for you?
Rachel

Have you had a previous incident of spikes during the time you have been on the diet?
Cheryl and I had it in weeks 4 to 5 and it did take 2 – 3 weeks to sort itself out.
I think I would keep monitoring for a week or two to see if the readings decrease again before starting the meds again.

Hi, I also saw the Stay Young program with Angelo Rippon sprinkling Inulin onto her food to reduce visceral fat. Have been looking for any info but there is very little. Sometimes it is said it is made from chicory and sometimes pulses. I am a bit disappointed that the program did not give more information as there is now obviously a lot of interest about this product. If there is any chance it works on visceral fat, I’m in. I am diabetic but not particularly overweight, but I do have visceral fat.
Amazon sales of Inulin have rocketed with many companies using the “As used by Angela Rippon” slogan – but, does it work ????
Please Michael – your views ….

Wretched phone….. it isn’t going to be a diet – breaker if you ate the same things 2 meals or 2 days in a row to use them up!

Hi Rachel, my hubby is on the diet too, but also travels a lot. I have used recipes from the book, ones posted here + swapped ingredients to use them up as long as the calories etc were similar.

I have also got my freezer in overdrive!

I also adapt regular favourites to come in on plan!

Hi hashimoto, it sounds as though you have had amazing success with this, Im so pleased for you :))) Did you follow the recipes / menu plans to the letter? I am finding that its quite wasteful as my husband works away during the week and it doesnt seem to take into account that there will be lots of ingredients which need using up!
I just wondered if you had sourced alternatives. Im afraid my current brain fog is making me feel completely useless or I would be avidly searching.

Rachel62 x

Hi sianeyb, you could indeed have a gluten intolerance as that can cause joint pain and all sorts of symptoms. Mild gluten intolerance has also recently been implicated in fibromyalgia.

As captainlynne says lots of us are finding undreamed off benefits from this diet, in fact lynne and I no longer suffer from acid reflux – and we are not alone in that respect.

So hopefully you will just go on improving!! 🙂

Hi Bill1954.
My consultant told me to watch Roy Taylor lectures and read his literature etc., other than that she said off you go.

I did stagger it, pioglitazone was the first to go, then Victoza about 3-4 weeks later, and finally metformin, last metformin was about 3 weeks ago.

Having worked so hard, I feel great having lost so much weight, but the BG levels have left me gutted. Dread the idea of going back on meds.

Hi Christi1948

Thank you so much for your message, I think I must be the same as you re sugar, although it was more alcohol with me rather than cake, biscs etc. Im on day 3 now and feel truly dreadful, dizzy, lightheaded and absolutely ZERO energy :(((( AND, to top it all, I lost 1lb 10oz on day 1, but nothing yesterday!!! Did you lose much in the first few days? I thought, having read so many success stories and knowing how diets usually work, that there would be a spectacular weight loss to compensate for feeling like this. Please tell me it gets better as Im losing the will to live here………:((((

Rachel62 x

Hi Rachel, I started slowly increasing my calories after week 8, I can now eat more than I could pre diet without putting on any weight. I am stable at 8st 12lbs and am happy with that – I noticed how skinny the tops of my legs were and have decided to stick at 8st 12lbs.

I still eat according to the principles of the BSD – i.e. no starchy or sugary foods. I still only eat berries or occasional apples/pears for fruit. I can’t imagine eating my daily banana again! Far too sickly sweet now! I am enjoying eating more nuts than I could on 800 calories and occasionally eat a whole avocado rather than half. I totally enjoy the food on this ‘diet’ and feel no need to change as I have felt so much better on it.

The fact that I can eat without putting weight on must mean this diet resets your body somehow. I am eating the number of calories for a 63 year old woman but before 1000 calories a day made me pile weight on!!

Good luck with your 8 weeks and beyond Rachel 🙂

Yes, it seems chronic pain can be affected. Both my wife and I have improved with fewer pains and less of them since we lost our weights 16 kg me and 8 kg her. We are both in Normal BMI ranges now and have other issues but are still much better in many ways.

Kia Ora Kia Ora and others!
I’m also kiwi, from Wellington. I’m in week 6 of the fast 800, lost 7.7kg so far.
I find this diet much easier than others, the strictness helps I think, and because I lost my hunger and felt FANTASTIC in the first couple of days, and also started losing weight quickly, it was very encouraging.

Tips for days when I feel peckish, or when I plateau for a few days (which happens a lot!) – LOTS of water and a bit more salt. I can’t seem to add nuts for snacks as they are too calorie dense and I like to eat plenty of food throughout the day.

I need to add that I gave myself a break for about a week, and ate in the Mediterranean Low carb diet, as I was away from home and on holiday. So a lot higher calorie count, but still low GI. I didn’t gain any weight! but I stopped losing weight too, so back on the wagon for another 2 weeks.

Hardest part – not drinking any alcohol, after it made me feel really sick at the end of the first week.

That’s great, Bill, I had noticed your rapid response to AKB382 🙂

Thats amazing hashimoto, congratulations!!! Will you continue with 800 cals a day now?

Rachel

Hi I agree with Bill, after all dieticians are still doling out the low fat high carb nonsense! 🙂
Also it is amazing what is happening to people on this diet – I know it is anecdotal rather than trial based – but there are a number of us who no longer suffer from acid reflux – yet the criminals are supposed to be fat, spicy foods and alcohol. Well, we are eating fat, I have not stopped eating spicy food and have had an occasional small glass of wine with no ill effects! 🙂

I’ve replied to this post in the blood sugar spikes thread

PS I should add that my friend who is on medication for high blood pressure has been advised to add salt to her food when her BP crashes – despite being on renal dialysis. So it can’t hurt the rest of us to follow that advice! 🙂

Hi Beverley, my gallstones (many) were diagnosed in 2006 and are not bothering me just now and as I am getting healthier and fitter I do not expect that they will, I am in week 11 but have increased my intake a bit now…

I wonder if he or she is the same kind of dietary expert who have been telling people to eat low fat high carb.
I also wonder if he has as much experience in his field as Professor Taylor and Dr Moseley.
The fact is, if a radio producer wants to push a certain viewpoint to listeners, they will always find an “expert” who agrees with that viewpoint. It also happens a lot in court cases.
You just can’t believe everything you hear or see in the media.

Hi Bella, welcome to the forums.
Are you following the BSD or 5:2???

Wheat bread/toast is off the menu on BSD as it is low carb and bread is high carb.
Could you have, say, 2 eggs and some tomatoes for breakfast? Or a full fat yoghurt with some seeds or berries?

If you have any questions just ask away as the forums are full of helpful, friendly people who will answer your queries.

Good luck 🙂

AKB382 did you come off the meds under medical supervision ?
Did you stop them all at the same time or stagger it ?
I first stopped my Exanatide injections and monitored the sugar readings for a week, then I halved the metformin, again watched the results for a couple of weeks, that was when I got the spikey readings that others have experienced, it took a couple of weeks to calm down.
Finally, after consulting the GP, I stopped the last Metformin and really haven’t had any BS problems since.

Hi SteveT, like you I have a blood pressure monitor, I have low blood pressure so am always under your ‘normal range’ but when I was light headed at the beginning of the BSD and checked with my monitor my BP was at the lowest possible end of acceptable. So I think this is a natural occurrence while our bodies adjust to low calories and low carbs. I keep saying I’m in week 13 but having just checked the calendar it is week 15 and my BP is still lower than at the beginning, but the same as it was 10 years ago so I am very happy with that. My 90 year old dad is still about 120/70 (without meds) so hopefully you can lower your lisinoprol dose and hopefully by the end of 8 weeks come off it!!! 🙂

Hi AKB382, I’m not diabetic so can’t help much on that front and I don’t know if you came off all your medications at once or not, or if it was under medical supervision.
I don’t know if you have looked at Bill1954 or cherrianne’s posts but they both had problems with rising bs levels which lasted for approximately 3 weeks – but their rises began in the middle of the 8 weeks.
Have you thought about having real food rather than shakes?

A ‘conversation’ with them may be of more help to you. 🙂 Don’t give up hope, whatever you do!!

I’m really sorry to hear that, its so demoralising isnt it?. I understand that the Professor’s patients were using shakes but from reading the forum over the last 11 weeks or so, our members seem to do better with real food rather than shakes. Would it be worth while trying the full bsd with real food for a,couple of weeks? It has worked for so many people here, I would suggest giving it a try.

Well I’m sorry to report it looks like it hasn’t worked for me.
Having started the regime of 25th Jan, my weight is now 86KG, BMI of around 24. After 3-4 good weeks fasting results of lower than 5.3, BG reading have been raising since I came off the medication.
Fasting results 12.6 last couple of mornings. Continue to have shakes for breakfast and lunch and lots of greens with dinner.

I came off the medication metformin, pioglitazone and Victoza as I say remained relatively stable for a few weeks, I am now reconsidering introducing the medication which is off course massively disappointing. It kind of puts me back where I was. I’m so gutted !

Well I’m sorry to report it looks like it hasn’t worked for me.
Having started the regime of 25th Jan, my weight is now 86KG, BMI of around 24. After 3-4 good weeks fasting results of lower than 5.3, BG reading have been raising since I came off the medication.
Fasting results 12.6 last couple of mornings. Continue to have shakes for breakfast and lunch and lots of greens with dinner.

I came off the medication metformin, pioglitazone and Victoza as I say remained relatively stable for a few weeks, I am now reconsidering introducing the medication which is off course massively disappointing. It kind of puts me back where I was. I’m so gutted !

Sadly bizibee the low fat diet is still being advocated by so many in authority ( and diet industries ) that it may take a long time before folks are hit with the facts 🙁

I guess like a lot of people who have a BP problem, I’m “lucky” enough to have a BP monitor and have been taking regular readings – so there’s no need for me to see a practice nurse as I can see exactly what is happening. The lightheaded episodes prompted me to wonder what was going on during them so I tested blood sugar (which came up 5 or 6) and then blood pressure. Those readings came up 120/76, 128/69 and 127/79. The diastolic (second) element of these readings is I think the problem – they are below the Normal range.

I am approaching the end of Week 3 and have lost 18lbs. I feel that this weight reduction has definitely reduced my BP as my readings have reduced steadily since I started. I will be asking my GP later whether my lisinopril dose might be dropped from 20mg/day to 10mg/day. I hope he’ll be helpful.

By the way Rod, I love it that somebody who is trying to take charge of their own health is marked “non-compliant’ in their health records! That seems to me such a grotesque thing to do.

There’s no current research that favours a low fat diet over long term. Low fat has the biggest failure rate. Eg the Predimed research. Dr Jason Fung says that you can lose weight for a while on any system but keeping it off requires lowered carbs, higher fat and in his view some fasting. He describes several fasting patterns, including a 24 hr one (as an alternative to the 36 hour one in The Fast Diet). Basically this is just going from one meal one day to the same one the next with only liquids such as tea, water or broth. This gives the insulin production a rest.

Janet is so right – none so blind -horse/water – my best friend’s partner has T2 retinopathy, kidney problems, nerve pain in feet and ‘wants’ to be well. Cooked some bsd meals for him, bought the book for him but he is still tucking into greasy greggs pastries, chocolate and cake. Its too much effort to change his habits. In a way that’s worse reasoning than ‘don’t believe in it’ 🙁

Respect to you JillyB
I lived for almost 2 years in constant fear of losing the sight in one or both eyes and had spells when I did lose it in one or the other but never both together.
My team at the eye hospital were superb so I’m happy to hear you have a good doctor.
Best of luck.

He he Robmac the pain without the pleasure!

I hope everything turns out ok for your hubby georgiarose, hopefully he won’t want to have 5 coffees plus cake and sweet stuff in one go instead of lunch again!